FC4 grub loading stage2 read error

From: Alan Roter (alan_at_alanroter.com)
Date: 11/28/05 

Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 06:42:36 +0000 (UTC)

Hi,
I've just rebuilt my
system with a 64-
bit AMD on an Abit
motherboard, and I
cannot get Fedora
Core 4 to boot. I've
read everything I
can "google" and
tried it all, but with
no luck.

I'm doing a straight
FC4 install off of
FC4-x86-64 iso's
downloaded and
burned to CD. I've
custom-partitioned
my master IDE drive
/dev/hda with /
boot, /, swap and /
home partitions
(partition map listed
below). This is a
single OS install -
just Fedore Core 4. I
do have a second
drive (/dev/hdb)
which contains a
FC2 install, 32-bit,
from my old
machine, from
which I will copy my
old data, but I don't
suspect it would
create problems
booting from hda.

At a very early stage
of booting, I get the
error: "GRUB
Loading stage2Read
Error" and the boot
process stops. Ctrl-
Alt-Del or the Reset
button will reset the
machine.

I've googled this
error message and
found some
suggestions. These
are some I've tried:
1) Made sure my
BIOS has DMA
enabled, which my
moboard does by
default.
2) Ran the command
line grub, executing
"root", "kernel" and
"boot" with
parameters without
error but without a
reboot. (Do I also
need to do "initrd"
or is that only for a
RAM disk use?)
3) Ran grub-install
command line and
re-installed grub.
4) Re-installed FC4
three times, using
default partitioning,
trying to put grub
on the MBR and /
boot partition.
None of these
things has resulted
in a bootable
system. The only
way I can boot is
from the FC4 disk1
or the rescue CD.

Any suggestions on
what might be
wrong with my
setup. Following are
fdisk listing and my
grub.conf file.

Thanks,
--alan

FDISK LISTING
New Install 11/26/
05 10:30 PM

Disk /dev/hda:
200.0 GB,
200049647616
bytes
255 heads, 63
sectors/track,
24321 cylinders
Units = cylinders of
16065 * 512 =
8225280 bytes

   Device Boot
Start End
Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 *
1 13
104391 83 Linux
/dev/hda2
14 6387
51199155 83
Linux
/dev/hda3
6388 6637
2008125 82 Linux
swap / Solaris
/dev/hda4
6638 24321
142046730 83
Linux

Disk /dev/hdb:
251.0 GB,
251000193024
bytes
255 heads, 63
sectors/track,
30515 cylinders
Units = cylinders of
16065 * 512 =
8225280 bytes

   Device Boot
Start End
Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 *
1 13
104391 83 Linux
/dev/hdb2
14 6387
51199155 83
Linux
/dev/hdb3
6388 6452
522112+ 82 Linux
swap / Solaris
/dev/hdb4
6453 30515
193286047+ f
W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hdb5
6453 19200
102398278+ 83
Linux

GRUB.CONF from /
boot/grub/
grub.conf
# grub.conf
generated by
anaconda
#
# Note that you do
not have to rerun
grub after making
changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have
a /boot partition.
This means that
# all kernel
and initrd paths are
relative to /boot/,
eg.
# root (hd0,0)
# kernel /
vmlinuz-version ro
root=/dev/hda2
# initrd /
initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda1
default=1
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,0
)/grub/
splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core
(2.6.11-
1.1369_FC4)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /
vmlinuz-2.6.11-
1.1369_FC4 ro
root=LABEL=/ rhgb
quiet
        initrd /initrd-
2.6.11-
1.1369_FC4.img

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